One of the coolest things when you already have a job is getting a call, out of the blue, from a recruiter. It can be unsettling making you wonder where they got your contact information. The first time it happened to me, I got a little paranoid. See, I was actually looking for a new job, but I was keeping it under wraps until I had a job offer. I worried that maybe someone had given them my name, especially since they called me at work.
After it happened, I did a little research to find out how recruiters get leads. Of course, you could ask them where they got your name, but you would only get a generic answer about someone who wants to remain anonymous, but who thinks that you would be perfect for this job opportunity.
I don't think that most recruiters expect anyone to buy that line. Trust me, no matter what they say, this is most likely not what happened. Most people don't recommend their friends or co-workers to job recruiters; even on social networking sites like Linkedin. The reason is that referring peoples' names to recruiters tends to be risky and unless they are 100 percent certain that the person is actively seeking new employment, they don't want to step on any toes. Doing something that might offend a valuable contact serves no purpose, and there is no real pay off for them to refer you.
What I found out was that recruiters have great research skills. They are experts at finding the right group of candidates to present to an employer, which is why companies hire them. Here are a five ways that recruiters find you:
- You have applied to one of their job postings- Recruiters post on various job boards to advertise the positions they are looking to fill. What surprised me was that even after they have found the candidate for the position, they hold on to most of the remaining resumes to use when they have a different job opening to fill.
- Your name is in a recruitment database- Some agencies keep a database of resumes and even buy information from other recruiters. Buying and selling of leads is common business practice. Taken alongside number 1 on this list, the odds are good that you have sent a copy of your resume to a recruiter. Sometimes their information is out of date, but if they think you might be the right fit, they will try to find you using other methods.
- Social Networking- This is becoming one of the fastest ways to get found. Linkedin and other social networking sites make it easy for a recruiter to search for people in specific areas who have specific skill sets. Once they find you, it's just a click away to contact all of your coworkers and business associates. When you make your online profile, you are making your information fair game.
- Corporate websites- Recruiters often look at corporate websites to find employee lists. Often the websites contain a full list of all the employees in directory format. For those that don't, often specific employee names are listed in news articles about the company.
- Cold Calling- This is typically a last resort, but it is still done. Basically, this method involves cold calling a company and making up a story to get information about who is working in a certain position. Often a recruiter will try to chat up a receptionist or a low level employee asking a lot of questions. This takes a lot of time and often doesn't get anywhere, so it is less likely that a recruiter would go this route.
Recruiters have many ways to find talent to fill their job openings. Even if you don't want to change jobs, being recruited isn't always a bad thing. When you are working toward a promotion or a raise, letting it leak that you have been contacted by a recruiter might make your current employer a little nervous about losing you. That nervousness could even lead to being given a raise.
Of course, if you are unhappy with your current job, and want to be found by a recruiter, making yourself easy to find is a good start. A good recruiter works very hard to find the best talent, and also will work hard to get you the best employer as well.
Have you ever been contacted by a recruiter? Did you take the job? Let me know in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog and Beyond.com, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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